New York Islanders’ Zdeno Chara retires after 24 seasons. Here’s his small Kentucky link

New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) congratulates goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) on their 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 29, 2022.

After 24 seasons, NHL big man and New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara has decided to call it a career. He announced the news Tuesday morning on Instagram, stating he’ll sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins to retire as a member of the team he spent 14 seasons with.

At the time of his retirement, at 45, Chara was the oldest active player playing in any of the top five major professional sports in North America (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB or MLS).

Known as “Big Z” — for being the tallest player to ever step foot on an NHL rink at 6-foot-9 — Chara spent most of his professional career with the Boston Bruins (14 seasons) where as captain he won the only Stanley Cup in his career.

Zdeno Chara:Islanders’ Chara beats Flyers’ Zack MacEwen in fight, then asks if he’s fine

But, a little known fact about Chara is his link to Kentucky.

Once upon a time, Kentucky had their own claim to hockey fame in the form of an AHL team known as the Kentucky Thoroughblades. And Chara was a part of that.

Hockey in Kentucky?

In 1996 the Thoroughblades planted roots in Lexington, playing their home games at Rupp Arena as the affiliate of the Islanders.

The only other teams to find home in Kentucky in recent years were the Louisville IceHawks, which operated from 1990-94 in the ECHL as an affiliate to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the the Lexington Men O’ War of the ECHL, which lasted one season in 2001.

In 2001, the Thoroughblades moved to Cleveland, Ohio, to become the Cleveland Barons before moving to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2006 to become the Worcester Sharks. In 2015, the team made one final move to San Jose, California to become the San Jose Barracuda. The team changed affiliations from the Islanders to the San Jose Sharks during this time.

After being passed over in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Chara was drafted in the third round, 56th overall, by the New York Islanders at the 1996 Draft. He spent his first season in North America with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.

Story continues

In 1997, Chara played one season with the Thoroughblades, playing 48 games and racking up four goals, nine assists, 13 points and 125 penalty minutes.

Wired shut:Chara played with plates, wires, screws to fix broken jaw

Honing his craft in Ottawa

Chara quickly gained a reputation for being a tough player to play against — intimidating size, physically strong, someone who could land hard hits and, on occasion, get into a fight. In 2001, the Islanders made a move to get forward Alexei Yashin, trading Chara as part of a deal at the NHL Entry Draft.

During his time with Ottawa, Chara began to grow into a serious two-way defenseman, garnering career bests in total points, including a 16-goal and a career best 43 points in the 2005-06 season. It wasn’t meant to last in Canada, however. Chara found himself unable to make a deal with the Senators and became an unrestricted free agent at the end of that season.

Fear the Bear

Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara, of Slovakia, stands during the national anthem before Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

On July 1, 2006, Chara signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Boston Bruins and was immediately named the team’s captain — a role left vacant since Joe Thornton’s departure to San Jose during the 2005–06 season.

Though the Bruins were in rebuilding mode when they signed Chara, the team quickly climbed their way to top-tier status, making it into the playoffs in 2008-09 before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. That same season earned him his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, edging Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings.

During the 2010-11 season, Chara and the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks to win the team’s first Stanley Cup since 1972. The victory made Chara the first Slovakian-born player to captain a Stanley Cup champion team.

The final years in Boston

At the 2012 All-Star Game’s Hardest Shot skill competition, Chara measured the hardest slap shot velocity to a record 108.8 mph — a title he continues to hold to this day. In 2019, he scored an empty-net goal against the St. Louis Blues to become the oldest player in NHL history to score in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In July of 2019, following the retirement of Matt Cullen, Chara became the oldest active NHL player. On November 5, during a game at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens, Chara became the 21st player in NHL history to play 1,500 regular season games.

From the Caps to an Islanders return

In December of 2020, Chara signed a one-year, $795,000 contract with the Washington Capitals. He scored his first goal with the team on Jan. 28, 2021 against his former team, the Islanders.

Chara made his final team stop back to the Islanders on Sept. 18, 2021, signing a one-year contract.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Here’s how retired NHL defenseman Zdeno Chara is connected to Kentucky